But what does your cat do with his day? That's a good question. Indeed, the biological rhythm of the cat is totally different from that of humans.
If sleep represents the lion's share, the little feline also spends a lot of time grooming, feeding, hunting, playing, protecting its territory ... Here are the different daily activities of your cat, regardless of its breed.
Its main activity? Sleep...
While sleep occupies a third of our time, the cat sleeps much more than we do. His body needs 16 hours of sleep every day, on average. Kittens and older cats sleep almost 20 hours. And don't think a cat sleeps out of laziness or to enjoy the couch... These many hours of sleep are vital for his emotional and physical balance. In a cat, sleep is health! It is better to avoid disturbing him while he sleeps, at the risk of seeing him suffer from stress and various disorders. The sleep of a kitten must be particularly protected; it is during his sleep that his growth hormones are secreted. A sleeping kitten grows up!
An adult cat sleeps in three-hour cycles, alternating the phases of wakefulness and sleep, day and night. This is the legacy of his wildlife. Forced 10,000 years ago to hunt for food, the cat has become accustomed to saving its energy expenses as soon as possible. Its peak of activity is rather at night, at dusk or dawn, the best time to hunt small game. Not only does a cat sleep a lot, but it also dreams a lot. His brain spends nearly 25% of his sleep time dreaming. During his cycle, he goes from a light sleep (attentive to the slightest noise) to a deep sleep, with a total muscle relaxation.
Today, cats living in apartments sleep more than those who have access to the outdoors at will. They sleep nearly 18 hours, while their most active counterparts are content with 12 or 14 hours. This excess of sleep comes rather from the lack of activity; when Minet is bored, he sleeps. In an ideal life, a cat likes to have several places to sleep, including at least one in height. Dominating the world without being vulnerable, even during his sleep, is what he prefers...
A cat spends 1 hour 30 minutes a day grooming
And if the cat spends so much time licking his hair, it is not out of coquetry. Toilet sessions have an essential objective for the cat: to put its own smell back on its coat. To do this, he takes the time to remove the external pollution accumulated during his travels. He takes the opportunity to neutralize certain parasites. The toilet is done in stages, in each area of the body. It happens that a cat spends much more time in the toilet than normal. This is compulsive licking; a visit to the veterinarian is required.
The first activity of the cat: hunting
The cat is a hunter who knows how to hunt. He when he is not hunting (kibble at will), he trains to hunt. And when he's not training, he's playing cat and mouse. In fact, hunting is so much in its genes that your little feline spends several hours a day on it. Whether he is well fed or lives in an apartment, nothing destroys this ancestral instinct - even if it is a little less vivid in some cats.
Most games that occupy an adult kitten or cat are meant to sharpen its predatory instinct and fortify its abilities. Jumping on a ball of wool, the cat practices jumping on prey. Hiding in a cardboard box, he trains on the lookout. A cat never wastes its time; everything is an opportunity to learn. Observe without being seen, concentrate your energy to jump into a sudden relaxation, advance at velvet steps, strengthen your muscles and reflexes, develop your eyesight... Each game has a use, that of becoming a good hunter.
If your cat lives in an apartment, it is up to you to stimulate this instinct by playing with your cat often. In your absence, leave him enough toys and objects to develop his abilities.
His second activity: keep his territory
The cat is not a great explorer. It is fixed on a fairly small area, of the order of two hectares on average. Once this territory is defined, the feline spends a lot of time surveying, marking and protecting it from intruders. Some cats are more attached than others to respecting the boundaries of their hunting ground. But all take the time to impregnate it with their smell, just to tell the other cats who is the leader of this territory ... When it moves a little away from its feeding center (the bowl of kibble), a cat marks on the way the trees, plants and low walls. He rubs, scratches or urinates to sign his passage. These tracks and pheromones are signals for other cats, but also probably a way to find their way around your hunting area. Signs, so to speak, that allow him to get home quickly.
When necessary, Minet is ready to defend his territory. Let a cat in the neighborhood come to cross the limits, and your cat gets into the fight! Finally, it begins with an attempt at intimidation... Bristly hair, whistling, spitting, hyper acute meow, are in principle enough to keep an intruder away. We are talking about uncastrated cats. Once operated, both males and females are more prone to tolerance, which limits neighborhood quarrels.
The cat eats often, a little
Unlike the dog, which is content with one or two meals a day, the cat needs to eat often. In 24 hours, he returns 15 to 20 times to his bowl. Its small stomach and cyclical activity make it a great snacker, who eats little but often. This does not prevent him from providing one or two daily meals, based on wet food and preferably at a fixed time - because the cat loves rituals. But it is better to leave him a bowl of kibble permanently. Self-service food suits him perfectly, as long as it is available 24 hours a day. And since he knows how to manage his dietary needs very well, there is no risk that he will gain weight by alternating small meals and periods of activity.
Every day, the cat goes to the checkout
It is a significant activity, a sign of good health. A cat occupies its litter box five or six times a day. If he goes there much more often, it is necessary to worry about it and consult a veterinarian. Of course it only occupies him a few minutes in all, but we could not ignore this essential activity ...
He is thinking about the future of his species
Yes, a cat can spend a lot of time, especially at certain times, trying to reproduce. And if we do not prevent him, he finds himself in a few months at the head of a descendant that we can no longer count ... The search for a female in heat, which he spots for miles, and the visit to the chosen one of his heart occupy a good part of his time. Unless, as is mandatory, you have the cat or the beautiful one sterilized. Your cat will have a little more time to hunt, play or sleep...
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